Pecopeco Ikimasu Gaiden!
by renzeiken
Summary: Comet is a prized racing mount that meets a tragic accident that ends its racing career prematurely. Lance is a disillusioned squire who wishes for nothing more than to change the course of his life. This is their story.


**Prolouge: The White Phoenix**

A pair of old men wearing the trappings of knights stared at a tall white-plumed creature. For a moment the pair simply stood there, motionless, until one released a deep sigh.

"Nobody's going to ride it now, not when it's blind." the balding man said, his voice carrying the slightest hint of pity for the once-proud mount.

"Do you think the Duke will let it go?" his companion asked, eyes turning towards the pecopeco noting the bandages on its eyes.

"He'd have to. I don't think anyone would want to feed a useless mount."

"So much for gratitude, if I remember the Duke made millions off Comet."

The other man shook his head. "And millions more if he wasn't pushing for that overwhelming lead he betted extra on."

The pair silently walked past the stables leaving the creature alone in the darkness of his sell and from behind the doors the just closed Lance heard the last snippets of their conversation. "…and to think they'd already taken the lead in that race."

Lance, a boy dressed in the trappings of a swordsman stepped out from the shadows. He'd been afraid of getting spotted by their Lord Duke Krasus again. The man was in a foul mood and nobody in the capital was ignorant of the reason behind his temper these days.

Even for a cliffcharger - and people had suspected that he was even more than that because of his unusual white plumage - Comet had proven himself to be exceptional. He had never participated in a race where he never won by a huge gap and most of his races had been in oridecon-league tourneys. Needless to say, Comet's early retirement was a tremendous loss to their Lord's coffers and he was hardly pleased by the news that Comet's sight would never see the track again.

Exemplary record or not, there was going to be no way anyone was ever going to ride this pecopeco again and for better or worse they were going to have to retire Comet before he even reached maturity.

Lance, more than anyone wished the accident hadn't happened. He'd always warned the rider not to push Comet but he was nothing more than a simple squire-turned stable-boy, there was no way his liege would listen to his advice.

Sometimes he wondered what he was still doing here feeding pecopecos when he should be out training. Sure, he had developed an interest in the creatures and as a knight-to-be he was supposed to learn how to ride one but he'd never imagined that was all he was going to learn during his stay here. They didn't even train him like they promised, instead they made him run errands and before long he'd been reduced to a mere courier who attended to other knight's mounts on the side.

Lance looked outside and noticed that the sun was just about to set. He'd already finished his duties for the day and was feeling slightly famished. As he dropped the bucket on the ground and made his way to the servant's quarters just outside the keep his attention was stolen by a frustrated Comet who was flapping his wings wildly in the confines of his cage.

The towering white-plumed pecopeco was still as impressive as it had always been. Its angular beak and sharp pale eyes made it appear more like an eagle than pecopeco and its sleek and muscular form and swept-back wings added even more to that impression.

Comet was a proud creature that was the victim of an even prouder rider. It was a pity the rider had failed to understand him, maybe if he had noticed that Comet had been running a fever he wouldn't have been pushed faster than was necessary to win.

_Maybe if I had been your rider this wouldn't have happened…_

The thought made Lance smile. It was outrageous that a lowborn, barely a squire would have the opportunity to ride a mount as prized as this one but…

Well, nobody was around and it wouldn't hurt to try a ride that nobody wanted… would it? He approached the towering creature cautiously but despite the absence of its sight it reacted to his presence with a furious snap of its beak.

Lance jumped back and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Comet was as courteous as ever and for some reason Lance found that quality of the bird to be attractive in its own way. Mustering whatever courage he had in him he quickly snatched the keys from where he knew they were hidden and opened the doors to the bird's cage.

Without even waiting for the double doors to sway outwards Comet rammed his head into the doors causing them to swing wide-open. For a moment a terrified look crossed Lance's face and he imagined the bird would bury its talons into his chest but the beast strangely enough stopped moving. Comet bowed its head close to Lance's and its eyes met the squire's.

Sharp narrow eyes, now pale blue instead of brilliant sapphire stared back into the boy's own. Lance knew that the bird wouldn't be able to see him but he felt as if Comet was scrutinizing him for all his worth. And then he bowed his head down even lower, this time even kneeling.

"Do you want me to ride you?" the question came out almost of its own accord and Lance carefully closed the gap between him and the giant avian. It hummed softly, almost as if it were waiting for the boy to make his move. With disregard of his own safety Lance took a firm hold of the bird by the neck and he swung himself on it, almost failing in the attempt.

There was no saddle, no harness and that was only to be expected of a mount that was probably going to be retired in the next few days. Still, simply riding the beast felt exhilarating, Lance could almost feel what it would be like to ride Comet as it charged through the grasslands.

He stroked the bird's feathers experimentally trying to gauge how it was adjusting to its new rider. The thought made him smile, he wasn't a rider, he was a courier-boy and he wasn't even a proper squire yet. He once imagined that riding a pecopeco like this would make him feel powerful, instead he only felt humbled.

The bird however had other plans, before Lance could even react, before he could even draw breath the white-feathered beast strode forward, its taloned feet digging into the soil as it began to walk to the exit.

"Wait a minute," panic shot through Lance. He didn't want to test the mount, he only wanted to see how it felt riding it. "Slow down boy."

Comet ignored his protests however. The bird's strides were growing faster and faster and within seconds they were moving at full gallop out the door and unto the fields where there was nothing but open grassland and nothing to stop Comet from running.

The first few moments terrified Lance, he held unto the creature's feathers for bare life but after the shock faded he felt a strange sensation welling up inside him. As dangerous as this pace was he didn't feel frightened at all, somehow he couldn't help but trust that Comet wouldn't do anything to harm him.

Now Lance was no stranger to Pecopecos, he had ridden them since he was ten and yet for some reason Comet hardly responded in the same manner those dunestriders or plainsbred mounts he had ridden in the past, and it wasn't just the absence of the reigns and a harness. No, Comet responded almost instantaneously to the slightest tug of his hands on its feathers.

As Comet sped across the darkening grasslands he felt an urge to run faster, as if the Pecopeco were spurring him to witness its power. Lance smiled and lowered his frame on the sleek body of the creature. With a tug of his hands he urged the bird to run faster and it sped up even more, almost as if it were responding to his spirit.


End file.
